An mpox vaccine is available, so why is it taking so long to get to Africa?
Mpox is nothing new to Africa, yet there is no vaccine available on the continent, exposing rank inequity in global distribution as tens of richer nations inoculate people facing far less risk.
Mpox had been circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January last year but only became a grave concern this January when scientists spotted the worrying new mutation. Mpox, formerly known as monkey pox, has been a public health problem in parts of Africa since 1970, but received little global attention until an international outbreak in 2022.
"This appears to be from sexual contact that it's spreading, and this time it is going from person to person," Whitworth said. Since January 2023, there have been more than 27,000 suspected cases and 1,100 deaths in Congo, according to government figures, mainly among children. But African countries have so far remained underserved, with efforts only now ramping up to bolster their protection.
The WHO gave its partner agencies, including global vaccine organisation Gavi and UNICEF, the go-ahead to buy mpox vaccines pre-approval to speed their delivery to Africa.DRC had expected to receive its first vaccines in the week of Aug. 26 after the United States and Japan both promised deliveries, but has since said it would take longer.
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